Absolution - A Don't Let Go Sequel
by Shihori
Summary: Two years after Kakashi and Tomoe's happy ending dark clouds have covered their relationship and put a strain on it. - Sorry everyone but any more information on the summary would count as a spoiler. If you have read Don't Let Go and liked it, please give this story a try. -
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its character as much as I would love to have a few of them hidden in my closet. They all belong to Mr. Kishimoto. Any of the characters you may not recognize of the canon story belong to me.**

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**Author's Note:**

Hello dear readers! If you have stopped to read this fic I assume you've read Don't Let Go and maybe A Second Chance (that one is not related to Don't Let Go). I just wanted to give my most sincere thanks to everyone who has read the stories for spending time in the result of my imagination and pounds added after all the chocolate and coffee required to write as much as possible while working and leading a normal life on only 4 to 6 hours of sleep. -Yes I can get really focused on my stories. Wish I was that focused on my studies or on writing an original novel.

To all of you who have reviewed, added my stories to favorites and added me to your author lists I say, "THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart." I know they are only fanfics but your support has renewed my writing bug. So without further ado, enjoy the fanfic your support has brought to your screens. :)

-Shihori.

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**Don't Let Go - _Absolution _**

**by Shihori**

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**Prologue**

Hawks are beautiful birds with deadly talons made for snatching its prey, able to rip them apart if their skin is soft and malleable. They were intelligent enough to throw a box turtle from high altitude towards a rock to break the hard shell. Deadly and intelligent, capable of ruthlessness for the sake of survival –that's how he would describe the shinobi before him.

Itachi gritted his teeth as he felt the painful pull behind his eyes. He had used the mangekyou sharingan for too long, however he could not stop now and retreat. He had crossed a line he should have known would alert the hawk before him to come hunting.

He had sensed the hunter following him and his Akatsuki teammate for days. Kisame had luckily not realized this, but the chakra reading his crows had gathered from the shinobi was so minimal it was not surprising the Kirigakure missing nin had not noticed the shadow that had followed them patiently.

It had not been difficult to separate from Kisame to go confront the hunter. Itachi frequently left his partner travelling with one of his clones. If the shark-like man ever suspected anything, he did not act on it. Either way, he had given the shinobi plenty of time to change course and move on. They say hope is the last thing you lose, but Itachi knew better. Hoping for this shinobi to back out was a fool's notion, and he was many things but a fool he certainly was not.

They had been fighting for hours now. It had taken a toll on him. Clutching at his chest, he screamed in his head, '_It's not time yet! I am not done_!'

But regardless of what his mind wanted, his body wanted to give up the fight sooner than it was needed. Blood crept up his throat, coppery and hot. It burst through his lips before his other hand could drop the kunai to cover his mouth.

He sensed the hawk approach in the blink of an eye and lifted his arm to block the kick that barely had any chakra behind it. _It's a test. _ He figured, _you must be wondering, aren't you? If now it's the time to bring me down._

For the first time, he misread the intentions of his attacker. The moment the shin made contact with his forearm a burst of chakra pushed through and sent him flying a few meters away. With effort Itachi kept his body from going to the ground like a box turtle and managed to pull out another kunai a split second before the enemy appeared above him, sword aimed to his throat.

The blade balanced precariously on the kunai edge despite the pressure placed on it. Staring into the dark eye holes of the white bird mask, he could not help the grin forming on his bloodied lips.

"You can't kill me." He said, "Don't force my hand or I will take this fight seriously. I will not die by your hand."

"It does not mean I will not try."

The female voice was muffled by the mask but Itachi smiled all the same at the sound of it. Not a word had been spoken before or since the fight had begun and hearing her voice pulled on the nostalgic side of him.

"You will die trying." He added.

Itachi felt the constriction on his chest ease, the pain behind his eyes lessen slightly. If he wanted to the shinobi would be on the ground dying by now, but he owed her making an effort to avoid that outcome. After all, he had a debt to pay.

"So be it." She hissed as chakra pumped from her palms into the blade increasing the pressure on the kunai.

In the blink of an eye, he took care of the situation. Behind her, one of his crows took his shape wrapping its arms around her neck and right leg over hers to stumble next to him. He took hold of the sword hand and twisted until the grip on the blade loosened and his other hand grabbed the free hand that was flying to his face.

Itachi was familiar with the shinobi's strengths and weaknesses, but more than anything her limits. The fight had taken a toll on her since he had forced her to expend her chakra more than she normally would. His clone lifted the bird mask from her face. Staring at her reddened countenance, he did not stop the clone from continuing to constrict her airways.

He had things to do still. If he did not eliminate her now, he knew she would try again and next time probably succeed. Having his illness exposed to her with the medical training she possessed was enough to give her tools to work with to finish him if she were to have the time to prepare. That's just who she was.

Itachi eliminated his clone from under her. Still pinning her arms down, he watched her cough until her body realized that it could breath freely again. Making up his mind, he allowed his eyes to go back to normal and tried reasoning with her once more.

"I would not harm him Tomoe." He said, "I'm doing my best to protect both of them."

She scoffed, "Whatever you are doing will only protect your brother and kill mine Itachi. I won't let that happen!"

He let go of her hands and allowed the positions to be reverted. The sharp edge of a kunai pressed against his throat.

"I am dying Tomoe." He said. A smile spread on his lips when those words made her open her eyes wide. "I am dying."

As he repeated those words, he wanted to laugh at both of them. He did not want to die. A small selfish part of him did not want to go down the sacrifice road for ever but he knew he would either way. He had stopped listening to that little voice long ago.

In her eyes, he could tell that she was wavering. Her eyes moved down from his to the middle of his chest. Her free hand pressed down on his solar plexus, sending chakra into his chest cavity.

Itachi patiently waited for her to be done. He wanted to tease her like old times and say, _For a spy you wear your heart on your sleeve Tomoe-chan._

When tears welled in her eyes and the kunai was removed from his throat he could not stop from chuckling.

"You are probably the only one who will shed tears for me." He said, placing a hand over hers on his chest. It no longer sent chakra though his body. It just kept a tight grip on his black shirt.

"Damn you Itachi…" She whispered as the tears flowed freely now falling onto him. "Damn you to hell."

Itachi reached up and pulled her head down to his chest. He let her cry while he stared at the darkening skies above them. All his actions had consequences and he had done all in his ability to protect his brother, including hurting one of the people he cared for the most.

"Yes. I am already there my dear friend." He said softly as he listened to her sob, letting out all the pain he had caused in a less violent manner. "Heaven knows I am where I belong."

Itachi was yet to make peace with the knowledge that he would die before he could see his sacrifices bear fruit. Worst yet, it was an illness and not an enemy what was bringing upon his early death.

It was ironic that he of all people could not accept his date with death despite having massacred his whole clan. Dying of a slow, painful death was probably the best kind of punishment a murderer could receive for his deeds. And all the same, deep down he wanted to rebel against it. There was too much to do still and too little time.

Little did he know at that moment that his inability to accept that turn of fate and his inability to kill one more loved one, would open the door to another dark road for him to travel. And yet, this time he would not be alone on the way down that rabbit hole.

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Second Check: 8/24/2014


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its character as much as I would love to have a few of them hidden in my closet. They all belong to Mr. Kishimoto. Any of the characters you may not recognize of the canon story belong to me.**

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**Don't Let Go - _Absolution_ **

**by Shihori**

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**1**

There was only darkness but in his hands he could feel the softness of her skin covering the circumference of her wrists. On his lips he could feel the bow of her lips, moistened by his tongue only seconds past. The kiss was not the important part –he knew that much. It was the turmoil behind it that made him want to hold on to those sensations. All the time there was a silent scream in his head asking and demanding at the same time, '_Me! Look only at me_!'

With regret, he pulled away and opened his eyes. Before him, lying on a rumpled futon, the object of his heightened emotions smiled up to him, blue eyes with flecks of green and gold welcomed him and whispered, "I love you I-"

His name always possessed a noise quality to it when it left her lips, but he knew she was referring to him. Whenever he heard those words the turmoil eased slightly. He knew there was more to this dream but could not recall it at the moment. After all, the most important thing was to let her know, so she would not leave.

"I love you too," He said as he leaned closer to her face again and whispered, "Tomoe."

The sudden pain on his lower lip forced him to open his eyes, waking him from the dream, to find a blonde curtain of hair covering the sides of his face and burning blue eyes staring at him.

"Morning…" He said carefully as the fog from deep sleep slowly receded. Reaching to his lips, he frowned when he found blood.

"Sorry darling..." Eiri chuckled, wiping at his lip with her thumb. "Got a little carried away, but nothing I did would wake you up!"

Placing his hands on her thighs at either side of his hips, he muttered his apologies and turned his face to a side. It was still dark outside. He could tell from the lack of light behind the pale curtains. Her hands cupped his face, bringing his attention back to her as she leaned in to kiss him, gently licking the cut on his lip but it stung all the same.

Running his hands up her thighs he grabbed her hips. Effortlessly, he flipped her onto her back on the small futon they shared and settled between her legs. She moaned her approval into his mouth as her arms snaked around his torso. He went through the motions. He knew where to touch and what patterns she enjoyed the most.

There had been a time he had enjoyed their love making. It had been a natural step after all the time they spent together while she nursed him back to health, but there was something missing between them. It had always been missing. And lately it was bothering him more and more how disconnected he felt from her.

When his body finally found release after hers had found enough to satiate her for the time being, he removed himself from their bed. Walking to the window, he parted the curtains slightly and looked down the street.

Their small room sat atop a family owned grocery store and it looked over the main market street. The sun was not out yet, but being the largest fishing village on the northern-most side of Fire country the shops were coming to life as early as two hours before sunrise.

It had been only ten months since the Fire and Leaf brought order to the former Sound village, effectively bringing it under their government and protection. Prior to it, the small country had been ruled by a small faction that had taken lead of the sound shinobi scattered about.

In that short period of time, Kurosagi-sama, Fire daimyo had made it his priority to transform their new access to sea into a prosper trading post with the northern isles.

A press of lips on the middle of his back brought his attention back to the small room. He looked down at the arms wrapping around his torso and out of habit he placed his hands on them.

"Are you alright Akira?" She asked, tightening her arms around him ever so slightly. "You've been pensive lately."

Akira nodded and mustered a small smile as he turned around to kiss her forehead. "I am fine Eiri." Turning away from her again, he added as he headed for the washroom. "I should get going. Master will be done at the fish auction soon and the restaurant won't get prepped on its own."

"I will go visit my brother today after work, just so you know." She said, "I will be late home tonight."

"Remember to give Utabe-niisan my regards." He said before closing the door behind him.

Once out of her sight he looked at his reflection on the mirror. Rubbing his face he tried to shake the feeling that something was out of sorts today but no matter how much he tried he could not pinpoint what. Sighing, he leaned on the sink and closed his eyes. Resigned to the sensation of limbo, he went through his daily motions.

_One more day_. He thought as he left his home and went to work. _One more ordinary day._

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Tomoe watched him get dressed. Kakashi could feel her eyes on him following every movement he made. It was early in the morning and he knew for a fact that she had barely slept a few hours every night for the last few days, but all the same she would wake up when he slipped out of their futon.

Ryota's seventh month had brought fevers and swelling on his cheek from teething. Both mother and son were exhausted, but no matter how many times Kakashi offered to look after their child so she could sleep, Tomoe would refuse. And if he tried to insist or even force her to go back to bed he would have a problem in his hands. He barely slept as well, but he kept vigil in their room while Tomoe soothed their baby in the nursery next door on her own.

After dressing, he grabbed the necklace with the red swirl stone she had made for him for their wedding from the peg where he always placed it before retiring for the night. The pendant as well as the black and silver cord represented her in every way –light and darkness entwined, inseparable, and the pendant her life's blood. She had explained to him that she had managed to place a small tracking seal in it and that if he were ever lost in the field again, she would know he was alive and he would be found as long as that necklace was around his neck. Likewise, he would know if she were dead for the pendant would lose its color and turn gray. More than anything it represented the words hope and life to him.

Walking over to the futon, he knelt down beside her and placed the pendant around his neck. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead and caressed her hair. Once, not too long ago, it had been a crown of jet hair, but now it had a strand of white at her right temple. It had lost its color a week after their children's birth.

Her right hand came out from under the covers to caress his face. Turning slightly into the palm, he placed a kiss on it before kissing her lips. Whispering '_I love you'_, he pulled away and got to his feet.

Kakashi took a few steps away and slid open the shoji doors that separated their room from the nursery. Stepping in, he carefully approached the crib but did not touch the sleeping babe from fear of waking the poor soul. He silently professed his love to his child, saving the image in his mind, before leaving the nursery through its door instead of returning to the bedroom.

He made his way to the common area. Not surprised to find Tsunade-sama sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea, he bid her good morning before leaving the Senju home. He did not feel like talking, even though he could sense the older woman wanted to have a word with him. There was nothing they could talk about that would make things any different at the moment.

It took him only a few minutes from the house to reach his first stop of the morning. He always stopped there first, after grabbing a handful of flowers from the front garden. Kneeling before the stone, he read it in silence and laid the flowers before it. He had yet to be able to talk about what had happened and how it affected him, but he made a point of visiting the grave every morning. His fingers traced the name engraved on the cold, gray surface –Hatake Mina, before he placed a kiss on the cold stone. Then he stood up and turned away from it, headed to the Hokage office where another day of issues, decisions and paperwork awaited him.

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"We are here Nanadaime-sama." The short, wiry man waved his hand towards a modest establishment. "You will be pleased with the fare here. It is my favorite restaurant for sushi."

Despite the time he had spent in his position as Hokage, Naruto still felt somewhat uncomfortable from being called Nanadaime-sama, but he had learned to stop insisting that everyone called him by his given name. So he smiled politely as he was not really fond of raw fish. He had also learned in the last year to handle himself in political situations and being gracious when his hosts offered something he did not particularly care for was part of the job as well.

This was the culmination of this particular trade meeting with the feudal lord of Yazugo village so he had to bear with it. It was important that he secured a steady supply of rare algae that grew only in that bay as far as the studies performed by Fire scientists had shown. It was a necessary component for the treatment of a virus that has been spreading through the countries for the past year and a half –maybe longer. It had been something cooked up in the enemy's laboratories, injected to the immigrants that were forced out of Sound territory and into Fire.

It was a slow killer that did not wipe out masses but provided an awful death to the weaker ones of the population. Many women, children and elderly succumbed to it before they gained the upper hand in the war between Fire and Sound. It had gained them access to the partially destroyed research of the virus and its antidote from which they were able to find and develop the cure to the virus. However, it was a difficult virus to pinpoint. It could remain dormant for months and kill in a matter of days once it flourished. Therefore, it was necessary to keep reserves of the antidote in as many places as possible and heavily guarded as well.

There were other countries that were being affected by them. Some wanted to negotiate with Fire to obtain supplies as well, while others blamed Fire for the virus' spread and demanded access to the Yazugo village.

Between Konoha and Fire they were doing their best to keep yet another war at bay.

Also, there were some enemy cells alive and breeding away. The fight for the Northern County was not over yet.

So Naruto apologized to his stomach beforehand for the indigestion he was surely to have, but Toshizo-sama had gladly accepted Konoha's offer of providing manpower to protect his lordship and the vessels used to harvest the algae in exchange of a steady, weekly supply of a twenty percent of the harvest. Ten percent was for Fire, six percent for Sand and three for Water. The three countries had a treaty for shared medical supplies and expertise in exchange for other goods from the other two countries. The algae had other foreign buyers as well, prior to the virus' creation, so twenty percent was all they could get for the time being.

There was also an ulterior motive to the offer Konoha made to Toshizo of course. The man had the monopoly on the algae and all the interested parties wanted to be assured that the feudal lord was not associated with the rebels spreading the virus.

Naruto glanced sideways at Hyuga Neji as he took a sip from his sake cup. Neji had been assigned as the commander for the troops to be stationed at the village. His old friend was doing a good job of working Toshizo, and they were chatting animatedly over the fare the lord had ordered.

Soon the food was brought to their table by the owner of the restaurant himself. Naruto did his best to be gracious and eat what he was offered but after five plates of the stuff, he could not stomach it anymore. Sushi was simply not his thing.

"My apologies Toshizo-sama." Naruto said, standing up. "I need some fresh air."

Before he could be stopped, he walked out and he only caught part of Neji's excuse for him. Something along the lines of being a light weight when it came to sake, which was a load of bull but of course, the truth was not the best option at the moment.

Naruto quickly turned into the alley next to the restaurant, sure to find a dumpster nearby. Not a good idea, but he did not have time to think that through. The moment he lifted the lid of one of the cans the smell of rotting fish assaulted his nose and triggered the rolling of his stomach immediately. Barfing into a smelly can was how he was found.

"Man! Didn't make it on time to a washroom there?"

The man's voice came from his left and the distinct sound of a garbage can being set on the ground could be heard over his sickening sounds. "Sorry…" Naruto managed the word before his stomach forced out another wave of barely digested sushi up his throat.

The backdoor closed after that short conversation. Naruto straightened finally and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Damn…" He sighed, feeling disgusting and worn out. "Never again, I swear. To hell with politeness and fucking politics."

Once again the backdoor opened and Naruto looked up. In disbelief, he stared at the man who was offering him a glass of water at arm's length for him to wash up the aftertaste.

The slightly tanned man with shoulder length hair dressed in a blue ensemble, clearly a uniform for the sushi place, frowned at him and muttered, "Well if you don't want it, fine by me, but if you stay here you're likely to barf again from the smell. You better get going or I'll call the patrol on you. It's illegal here to roam drunk before seven in the evening in this village."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Naruto growled, suddenly forgetting his temporary malaise. "Uchiha Itachi, this is where you've been all this fucking time?"

"What?" The restaurant employee stared down at him with disgust. "I have no clue what you're talking about. Get going man."

Before he could leave, Naruto made a grab for the man's collar, stopping him in his tracks. Ignoring the affronted glare the older man was throwing at him and the grip on his arm trying to pry his hand from his person, Naruto pulled the collar aside, finding what he was looking for.

"You fucking perv, let go!" He hissed, swinging at Naruto.

The blonde shinobi blocked it easily and sneered at him. "Drop the fucking act Itachi!" Jerking his chin towards the red kanji for the word 'soul' tattooed under the left collarbone. "Why did you not come back! They never lost hope you bastard!"

"My name is Yasuda Akira you crazy fuck!" He tried hitting Naruto once more, but obviously the deranged man was a shinobi for he could not land a single blow. "What the hell are you going on about?"

"I don't know what game you are playing Uchiha." Naruto glared at him, but was starting to wonder. He decided to bring up the people he thought would always mean something to Uchiha Itachi. "Sasuke is still waiting for you to come back. You promised him you would visit when not in missions but you never came back!"

Akira's eyes widened in recognition of the name. His eyes turned down looking at nothing but searching all the same. _Sasuke._ It was the one name in his mind constantly since he regained consciousness over a year ago, but he had never found the memory in his mind of the person that name belonged to.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Naruto noticed the change in the man's face from outrage to confusion. Slamming him against the wall, he hissed, "Nee-san has kept your promise to your brother in your stead. As usual! How many times does she have to be hurt for your sake Itachi?"

Unwillingly, Naruto's voice broke as he added, "Do you have any idea what you cost Tomoe you asshole? Why did you not return to Konoha!"

_Tomoe…_ Akira had a vague memory of hearing that name. Hadn't it been that morning? Wasn't it in his dreams? He could not be sure. But there was something he was certainly sure of. Yasuda Akira had been born a little over a year. Before that, he did not have any concrete memories of who he was and every time he had wisps of images cross his mind, they were quickly lost. He was never able to grasp any fleeting image that had nothing to do with his present life. So he went out on a limb and decided to stop arguing with the irate blonde.

Looking up he said, attempting to convey his confusion not only with words but with his soul –if it was true that eyes were windows to the soul. "I don't know you, but maybe I did before I was injured. A year ago I took the name Yasuda Akira from a novel sitting next to my bed. I had no recollection then or even now of who I was before I woke in the town hospital."

Naruto looked stunned at the man before him. Taking a step back, he finally let go and blew out the tension in him. It was obvious to him now that the man was telling the truth. He could not sense anything but utter confusion from the man. "Good gods…" Naruto said under his breath.

"Nanadaime-sama," Neji called out as he approached from the street. "Toshizo-sama is starting to wonder-" He stopped on his tracks, looking surprised at the living ghost. "Kagemori Junoichi…you've cheated death once more haven't you?"

"Nanadaime?" Akira frowned, turning to Naruto. "You called me Uchiha Itachi and now I'm called Junoichi? Is this some fucking joke?"

"No! No…" Naruto glanced at Neji before explaining. "You say you lost your memory. It must have been during your incursion into Sound close a year and a half ago. Kagemori Junoichi is your code name Itachi. Does it ring a bell? You were the Shadow Core's Ichi, hence Junoichi."

Sighing with exasperation, Naruto added as he ran his fingers through his spiky hair. "You were right hand to my sister who was the leader of Konoha's Shadow Core. You must remember man…you went through too much along with her since childhood. You two bonded over your similarities and the pain of losing your younger siblings –Sasuke and I."  
Grasping at threads, not sure what to say to erase the man's confusion from his face, Naruto kept bringing up bits that could be disclosed in front of Neji. "Uchiha Itachi and Kurosagi Tomoe…you two were once inseparable."

Akira grabbed the right side of his head suddenly, gasping and uttering a short string of curses as the unexpected pain drilled through his brain. Staring at the floor underneath him, he said, a syllable at a time, "Ku-ro-sa-gi."

As if a flood gate had been liberated, memories rushed to him. Him as a boy looking annoyed at the tomboy girl from the grade above him challenging him to a fight, followed by a clear image of the same girl lying in a sea of rubble, blood trailing from her mouth and tears raining down her temples into her blood matted hair. In between them he saw his baby brother in his arms crying. Then an image of him, a little bit older, standing before a grave with the girl in crutches as he offered his hand to her.

_"You will become a shinobi too Kurosagi."_ He said, _"You can count on me for that, but it would be a waste if you only live till twenty-five. I hope that is one goal you don't succeed on reaching." _

"What the hell…" Naruto hissed, "Itachi...you're crying blood."

"We better get him to a medic." Neji offered, "I will talk to Toshizo-sama." And left to do as promised.

Itachi brought his hands to his face, feeling the dampness on it. He looked down at his hands to find them bloodied. Blood had welled in his eyes and run down his cheekbones.

"I feel like I must apologize hokage-sama." Itachi said, looking at Naruto. "I don't know what happened to me, but it's been a long time. Whatever happened, I should not have allowed it to occur."

"I should be the one to apologize man!" Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder and gently prodded him to walk. They needed to get out of the stinking alley. He needed to get his comrade back home where he belonged to be looked at by the best medics he knew. "It's unfair, but you have always been a genius among geniuses. We have always come to expect to be above everything and capable of always succeeding old friend."

Neji joined them at the street and offered Itachi a damp towel as he explained that he offered their apologies to the feudal lord as well as the restaurant owner and gave a short explanation about what Naruto had just found. They understood and the Master could not hide his surprise to find out that his best cook ended up being a Leaf shinobi with amnesia.

"I explained to Toshizo-sama that you would be heading out with your entourage immediately back to Konoha to get our comrade here to the best medical help available. He agreed that it took priority over political niceties." Neji added, "I will take care of everything here Nanadaime-sama."

"Thank you Neji." Naruto nodded towards the Hyuga.

Suddenly Itachi stopped and looked up a two story building; bloodied towel still on his hands but the blood tears had stopped.

"What's the matter?" Naruto asked, following his line of sight.

"This is where I've lived the past year." Itachi said in a confused tone. "It all seems like an illusion but I know it has been real all this time."

"Is there anything you need from there?" Naruto asked anxiously. He did not want to be delayed. There was something obviously wrong with the former ANBU and among his entourage there wasn't anyone he could fully disclose Itachi's history.

Itachi frowned. "I live there with a woman. Her name is Eiri. She was my doctor's sister and she used to look after me at times."

Naruto sighed as he nodded. "I understand." Looking at Neji he said, "Neji, have Kuragame, Eito, and Sakura come meet us here. Once Itachi deals with his loose ends here, we will head home."

Neji acknowledged the orders and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Loose ends…" Itachi said in a musing tone followed by a scoff. "This is so fucked up."

"I'm sorry." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to sound callous."

Itachi shook his head and took the lead towards the back of the grocery store through the alley. "You are right to call it so Nanadaime."

"Naruto." He interrupted. "You are family to Tomoe, therefore I see you as family. I'm sorry I grilled you so hard earlier. It has not been easy without you Itachi."

Itachi frowned, looking back over his shoulder at Naruto as they climbed the stairs that lead to the upstairs apartments. Getting his key out of his pants' right pocket, he opened the lock on his door and walked in, still feeling disoriented and sick.

The door closed behind him as he pulled a chair from under the table and sat down, holding his head on his hands. Naruto sat down opposite him.

Itachi recalled the last time he saw Sasuke. His younger brother had been distant at first, but after a few visits, he had accepted to listen to the other half of the story his proxy had given him back during the Third shinobi war. During the visit prior to departing with his team and Rokudaime's to the northern country, also known as Sound village, he had promised to work towards convincing the council to give him permission to step out of the cells under the Torture and Interrogation Division's headquarters. It was where both Sasuke and Obito were serving their sentence. No windows and limited visitors.

Sasuke did not seem too bothered by it, but Itachi knew that if there was any hope to making some amends to all the damage he had done to his sibling, he had to find a way to bring him slowly, but surely, towards a normal life. After all, his sentence was not a lifetime one. He wanted Sasuke to be able to function once it came to an end.

But he had not returned from his mission. Itachi looked up at Naruto who had been looking around from where he sat, but turned back to him when he sensed he was observed.

"You said Tomoe took care of Sasuke?" Itachi said, not quite clear on all the things Naruto had brought up while he berated him for not going back home.

Naruto nodded slowly. "When we received report from Kakashi-sensei while still in Sound of all who had fallen, only your name came up as missing in action. Tomoe asked to accompany me when I delivered the news to Sasuke."

His blue eyes turned down to stare at the tabletop. "Sasuke went into a rage and tore everything apart. I tried to stop him, but Tomoe held me back and made me watch."

Itachi closed his hands into fists and waited for Naruto to continue.

"When Sasuke finally stopped, Tomoe approached him and said the words that only she could consider appropriate at that moment." Naruto turned his eyes back at Itachi as he said, "She knelt before him and took his shaking fists in her hands and talked to him in such a low voice I almost had to get closer to hear her."

"Missing in action is not dead Sasuke." Naruto repeated the words he had heard that day, "I know there is a lot of blood and tears under this bridge, but not once has your brother failed you Sasuke, regardless of what has happened between the two of you. You have always been first and foremost in his priorities."

"I thought Sasuke was going to lose it with those words from the way he was glaring at her and I feared for her for a moment. After all, there _is_ a lot of blood and pain under the bridge you two share." Naruto sighed, "She did not back away and instead held his face in her hands and made him look straight at her as she said, _'Your brother cheated death with the hopes of one day making up to you all the pain he brought to your life. Whether you accept his amends or not Uchiha Sasuke, Itachi will never give up in making it up to your for as long as you are alive. Trust me when I say, your brother is alive and he will come back.' _To me it was not the best words to be said to Sasuke in his state of mind, but whatever he saw in Tomoe's eyes that day made sense to him."

"Therefore, Sasuke has been waiting all this time. I once asked him why both he and Tomoe would not accept that you were gone. He said he did not know why she did not, but that the strength of her unshakable conviction had brought him hope in the middle of his despair. He decided to trust her because he could tell that if there was anyone who knew the real you it was her."

Itachi said to himself but it was loud enough for Naruto's ears, "I owe her more than I can repay in this lifetime it seems."

"They've become good friends." Naruto smirked, "They go out for walks twice a week under heavy guard. Like I said, she kept your promises."

Itachi nodded slightly, processing what he had just heard. It alleviated the numbness in his chest somewhat. Sasuke had someone who could understand the darkness he carried inside. He had not been alone in that darkness all this time.

"Seven months ago…" Naruto began with a somber tone and troubled countenance, "I will tell you this, because I don't want Tomoe to relieve this by telling you." He sighed, rubbing his face with both hands.

Itachi noticed how much older the once carefree man looked. He felt the pit in his stomach deepen. Whatever he was going to share was going to hurt Naruto for sharing and hurt him for learning of it now. His instincts, dormant for the past fifteen months, were finally working again, and sadly, he was rarely wrong.

Naruto fixed sad and troubled eyes on him as he continued. "Tomoe and Kakashi-sensei married soon after his return to the village. They were incredibly happy. In the blink of an eye they were expecting their first child, which we later found out turned out to be twins." A sad smile spread on his lips. "Tomoe was truly happy, but I noticed that there was a shadow in her eyes. She never accepted you as deceased but the insistence of the council in declaring you so, did take a toll on her, but she soldiered on."

Naruto leaned on the tabletop as he continued the story, frowning deeply. "Seven months ago, one of our recognizance teams found someone with your description claiming to be you. He knew things only you should know." He paused and then cursed loudly, "Fuck…this is going to get nasty isn't it?" Shaking his head, "We'll worry about this once we get you home and figure out how that double knew you so well. Anyways…"

"Word was sent to us Hokages that you had been found and were coming home, but one of the shinobi in the team was Neji and he said there was something not right. Kakashi-sensei and I trust his instincts and decided to keep the news from Tomoe for the time being."

"Neji arrived ahead of the team to share his suspicions to us. The double had said he was on a special mission on behalf of Kurosagi Tomoe. Kakashi-sensei said he had informed you of her name change so when he referred to her as Kurosagi and a few other Core details, he grew suspicious. We decided to question him before bringing Tomoe in."

"When the team arrived with him, they went straight to us at the office, but as luck will have it, one of the gate shinobi had finished his shift and was talking too loud in the grocery store, saying that Uchiha Itachi had risen from the dead. Tomoe happened to be there and talked to the man. He confirmed that your double had identified himself as Uchiha Itachi at the gates."

Naruto's eyes pierced through Itachi as he said. "We made a terrible mistake by keeping it from Tomoe. She rushed to headquarters and forced her way into the office. It all happened too fast. The double turned around like everyone else to see her walk in. Kakashi-sensei was about to ask her to wait, when she demanded from the double the safe word. He smiled and greeted her by name. Tomoe returned the smile and slit his neck."

"String." Itachi said softly.

"May fate never separate us." Naruto sighed in relief after repeating the response to the safe word as Tomoe had taught him. "When you said had lost your memory I hoped it was truly you but I've told you all this ready to kill you if you did not answer properly. We are not sure if there is another doppelganger roaming about."

"I understand." Itachi nodded, "I imagine it had not crossed Tomoe's mind that you would keep from her any news about me."

Naruto lowered his head and covered half of his face with a hand. "It has cost us dearly, but for Tomoe and Kakashi-sensei it was a blow that they may never recover from."

When Naruto uncovered his face, he looked away but the tears in his eyes were evident. "The double was a dormant carrier. All of us were safe but Tomoe, being pregnant could not resist the virus. Two days after she fell ill. There was no choice but to bring the twins almost three months prematurely or all three of them would not make it. In the end, Mina-chan was still born. Tomoe and Ryota survived."

Itachi watched speechless as Naruto wiped angrily at the tears running down his face before standing up and walking away from the table so he could not see him cry.

There were no words he could proffer that would not sound contrived and useless. All the same he said, "It is a terrible loss, Naruto. I am sorry."

"Yeah…" Naruto's broken voice matched his slumped shoulders. "In a way we have lost Tomoe as well. She has not spoken a word to anyone. Not even Ryota. She has yet to cry as well. Her doctors say we must be prepared for when it finally clicks in her head."

"God…" Itachi closed his eyes, unable to process the reality he had just woken to. All this time his best friend –the woman he loved but had given up on, had gone through the worst hell of all while he played house all these months.

The door opened behind him and he stood up immediately. The sooner he dealt with his fake life, the sooner he would be where his heart always remained even if his memory had betrayed him.

* * *

Second Check: 8/24/2014


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its character as much as I would love to have a few of them hidden in my closet. They all belong to Mr. Kishimoto. Any of the characters you may not recognize of the canon story belong to me.**

* * *

**Don't Let Go - ****_Absolution _**

**by Shihori**

* * *

**2**

Naruto stared at the back of Uchiha Itachi and the woman who had been by his side all this time while they walked ahead of the rest of the group. When she had walked into their apartment, he had not believed his eyes. Watanabe Eiri, the woman he had been dating on and off –the off part only because she did not want to move to Konoha for the time being and he could not move to the village located close to the Sound border at the time, stared surprised at him and then looked questioningly at Itachi, obviously not understanding what was going on.

They had parted amicably but she had been the first person he had a serious relationship with. That was something you did not forget.

"Eiri, this is Uzumaki Naruto, Nanadaime Hokage and a friend." Itachi said from where he stood.

Naruto found odd how detached Itachi seemed towards her despite having been living with her. But then this man was Uchiha Itachi now, not Akira, and as far as Naruto knew, he had always been a man of few emotional connections.

Eiri nodded, placing her bag on a hook by the door. "I know him Akira, but why is he here?"

"I have recovered most of my memories, Eiri." Itachi said, "I am returning home with him."

"You can't!" Eiri said suddenly, obviously distressed. "I mean its good you have remembered, but you have a life here now! I am here for you. I…I have been at your side all this time!"

"Itachi, I will be across the street." Naruto said, not wanting to witness the argument about to ensue. "When you are ready we will head out."

"Thank you Naruto." He said, again seemingly detached from the situation.

Naruto figured that recovering his memories Itachi had defaulted to his priorities and probably all he cared about now was returning to his loved ones. He had learned not too long ago that his sister was the only other person Uchiha Itachi loved. In fact, it was something Kakashi-sensei had confided in him the evening they received Neji's notice. It had been what had made both of them doubt that the man they had found was truly Itachi and made them take the decision to withhold the information from Tomoe who fought tooth and nail with the rest of the council to convince them that his convenient missing in action status was not an under plot of hers.

Either way, he felt bad for Eiri who glared at him for the reminder that Itachi's departure was not avoidable. Just as he was closing the door he heard her yell, "I'm pregnant Akira! You cannot leave me now!"

Naruto had no idea how the conversation had developed after he left the apartment that day, but when Itachi went to meet him, he said he had promised to wait an hour but did not say anymore than that. The man was obviously overwhelmed, a rare sight, but whatever he had in his mind at that moment, he did not share. It was clear there was nothing that would keep him from going back to Konoha that day.

Thirty minutes later Eiri emerged with a bag which she threw at Itachi's feet. Obviously she had decided to go to Konoha with him. Her eyes were rimmed red but she was clearly determined not to let go of him. She obviously cared more for Itachi than she ever did for him, or the baby on the way had limited her options. Either way, Itachi's attitude had remained distant and uninterested in anything other than reaching Konoha.

Not wanting to meddle as was his habit, he held his peace. Instead he made sure to send the report to his counterpart at the village and left it up to his brother-in-law how to manage the information. He could only hope that _if_ Kakashi-sensei decided to tell Tomoe, the news would stir her out of the silence she had retreated into after Ryota's birth.

* * *

Kakashi stood on the rooftop of the Hokage building, staring at the monument carved on the plateau that towered above Konoha. The Hokage robe flapped around his shins with the breeze that blew down from the tabletop mountain. The scroll Naruto had sent with one of his summons sat among the other documents viewed that day and awaiting filing.

Kakashi was unsure of how to take the news. Naruto was certain that it was the real Itachi, verified not only by the safe word but also by the Ichi tattoo. It made him revisit memories that haunted him daily.

The day everything had gone to hell, she had moved so fast that no one had reacted on time. The slit on the fake's throat had not been deep enough to kill him instantly and she had meant it so. Pinning the man by his wrists with two more kunai, Tomoe ripped the shirt and found that another important piece was missing. That's when she finished him off with a deeper cut to his throat disregarding Naruto's order not to kill. Everyone present had been taken aback by his pregnant woman and her ruthlessness.

Honestly, he could have stopped her the moment she stepped through the door for he knew how her mind worked. The moment he heard her demand a safe word, he could have stepped in her path, but he trusted her instincts. After all he was completely blind in love with every facet of hers and accepted them, good and bad.

Seeing her bloodied and barely out of breath, reminded everyone that she was no broken doll anymore. Pregnancy did nothing to soften that side of her either.

The virus, however, had been something they had not expected. At that time the screening tests were not hundred percent accurate, but the double had passed the blood test. Obviously it had been a negative result otherwise he would not have made it beyond the outer gate that had been built months before to prevent the virus from entering the village core. The moment they were all given a clean bill of health, they were allowed into the village.

After what had happened in the office, Kakashi considered convincing Naruto that there was information in the vault that he should have knowledge of. If he had that knowledge, maybe they would have had come to a different decision prior to the double's arrival and saved a life.

Unlike Naruto, Kakashi had read several reports on the vault, one of which explained the way the Shadow Core functioned and it would have prevented the incident in the first place if his counterpart was not so stubborn on the subject.

Kakashi knew of the blood seals on each of the members. Each one of them carried a small amount of Tomoe's blood in the kanji sealed into their left pectoral. If she were to die before them the Shadow demon would transfer along to the next person in the line of command along with the vault. What she had not added to that report was one of the few things she confessed to him the day he asked her to marry him.

That night her trial was coming to a close, the words she spoke to the demon were only for show. She allowed Naruto and Kakashi to have access to the vault but she did not relinquish its control. Or to be more precise, only death will detach that demon from her.

"I don't know if you believe in the afterlife or a next life and karma, Kakashi." She had said with a small smile, "But I do not believe in any of it. When I took what Sandaime offered to me, he warned me it was a pact that would consume my soul, literally, and every member of the Core accepted the consequences as well. They know that if they ever want to back out it must be done before the one before them in the succession line dies. Only I have no way back."

The way he saw it, as long as he could have her next to him for years to come, he did not care about what would happen when she was gone, which he hoped would be of old age and many years after he had passed away first. He would not let the decisions she had made before their relationship affect them.

There was also the fact that the kanji tattoos were a type of pact with her. She could not locate them through it, but could tell if one of them had passed away.

"It's like a sixth sense." She said, trying to describe it in the easiest way. "The contract allows me to sort of view from the corner of my eye, in a manner of speaking, what the demon can see. Maybe…sort of like the Kyuubi in Naruto, I can communicate with my counterpart in our own way."

Hence her insistence that Uchiha Itachi was not dead, just missing in action. Her fears and worries were regarding what that actually entailed, which could not be a good sign for Itachi at all.

Tomoe hated being uninformed and unable to act. Knowing this, Kakashi still made a bad bet by not bringing her into the loop before the doppelganger arrived. He thought that by being privy of that special information, he would be able to handle the man he was certain was an enemy spy. He could not share that information with Naruto, however. His former pupil was adamant about not looking into the vault and finding out what his sister was capable of and that included any type of information gleaned from the vault. That darkness was something he confessed not being able to handle.

When Tomoe looked away from the body at her feet and turned her fierce eyes towards them, they had partially swirled with the lesser colors in her eyes. They had changed from mainly blue to golden green. She closed her eyes for a moment and when they focused on him they were back to its normal blue.

"All of you get out now." She said in a low, menacing tone. When no one moved, she yelled, "Now!"

The men only moved when they as Hokages gave the order to take the body to be dissected and researched.

"Nee-san, you are out of line." Naruto began taking a few steps closer. "You should have let us handle this."

"Both of you know what Uchiha Itachi means to me." She said in an icy tone, looking straight at Kakashi. "You should not have kept this a secret from me. I trusted both of you, but obviously neither can trust me."

Kakashi had closed his eyes at those words. Besides the truth of her contract and the core, she had confessed to him the one thing that truly cut deep.

"Marriage…" She had said softly when he had insisted that her past would not change how he felt about her, just like his own demons were something she had said she could handle. "I will hurt you Kakashi. I don't want to do so but I cannot be anything but truthful with you when it comes to my feelings."

Kakashi took his eyes away from the monument as he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Just the memory of that day when she confessed to loving not only him but Itachi as well still had the power to rattle him.

He had known how close they were and how fragile that veil over her eyes was. When she told him how Itachi had kissed her in her apartment, on the futon _she _kept for him there and that he had done it to show her what she really wanted in her heart, his jealousy had threatened to break apart what they had only started the night before. Kakashi was certain that she truly believed there was nothing beyond friendship between her and Itachi.

There was no doubt in his mind one day she would realize it was more than that. His only hope back then was to be rooted deep enough in her heart just like she was in his that it would make no difference in their relationship the day she lost that veil on her eyes.

In the end, that is how it turned out to be. Not knowing what had happened to Itachi other than what Kakashi's report had given and the inevitable rush of emotions she felt at that moment made her understand at last what her childhood friend meant to her.

"The only reason I realized how I felt was because I had felt the same level of despair when you left the village after we had that argument Kakashi." Tomoe said softly. He had turned his eyes away from her when she explaining her convoluted feelings. "I'm sorry Kakashi. This is not what you wanted to hear from me tonight."

It certainly was not, but he was not surprised that she had _not_ kept it to herself. Her heart, she had said before letting him know she also loved Itachi, was something she never wanted to keep secret from him.

That day Kakashi had gone through a lot of effort setting up the place where he had decided to propose to her. He had hung tea lights on a great oak on the edge of a clearing and lit them all up through a seal on the wax candles that would also prevent them from burning the tree up. Under its canopy he had arranged a picnic blanket surrounded by her favorite flowers. Finding out what they were and acquiring them was actually the only help he had asked from Tsunade-sama and Sakura.

He had looked up at the massive tree, lit up in the middle of the night with a soft light. His perfect plan had made it impossible for him to hide his face from her unless he physically moved away. At such a delicate moment, he knew she would take any physical separation as a bad sign.

When the silence stretched out, she spoke again, "This will be it, won't it? That mission did not kill you. You came back to me but I will lose you all the same."

Kakashi watched her wipe her tears and fight with herself to not lose her composure. "He is not here. He may never make it back." He pointed out, not meaning to be cruel, but all the same the words came out.

Tomoe nodded, "I know, but I cannot lose hope."

Kakashi had accepted that truth with a heavy heart long before he left for to the northern border. He would always have to share his woman's heart with Uchiha Itachi.

"I have loved you for some time now, but I have no idea how far back or how strong Itachi's feelings are for you in that sense. All I know is he stepped back willingly that night we spoke of you."

Tomoe watched him in silence as he reached out and took her left hand away from the tight grip she kept on her knees.

"Keep in mind my dear woman," He said as his fingers entwined in hers. "I was part of a period of your lives while you were still growing up. That puppy love between the two of you was no secret except maybe to both of you blockheads. And then _you_ lost against Konoha's well being in Itachi's heart."

When he pointed that out, he knew she was aware of that fact when her eyes looked away from him.

"Tomoe, I have watched you for years before we were brought together by that red string and I have not taken my eyes away from you ever since. That means I have kept an eye on him too. Your feelings are no surprise to me love. I made my decision all those months ago to not waste my time on jealousy or even wondering if one day Itachi would wake up and decide to pursue you."

"When it comes to you Tomoe," He said, tugging her closer by their clasped hands, and stared straight into her bewildered eyes. "I am not ashamed to say I am glad he is not here for you. I don't want you to have a moment to even consider giving him a chance. That's the kind of bastard I am. Hate me if you must for feeling this way, but I am not giving up on you now or ever."

With a hand at the back of her neck, he brought her closer and pressed his lips to her forehead first. "Keep him in your heart. Love him if you must." He caught a tear with his lips as he kissed her right cheek. "All I ask is that you never stop loving _me._"

"Kakashi…" His name on her lips had a breathless quality to it before he pressed his lips on them.

Her free hand had settled at the back of his neck too and copied his hand's movements as it tightened around her hair, eliciting a soft moan from her while their kiss deepened.

They made love slowly on that cool night under the moonless sky, reminding her with his body and words that it had been him who woke the woman in her and that he would never let go of his feelings for her even if she were to stop loving him.

That night he had read her body's signs correctly and obtained not only an affirmation of her love for him and acceptance of his proposal, but also ensured she would be irrevocably tied to him for as long as they lived. The following six months had been happiest of his life.

The last seven however, have been a trial to their love for each other despite the quiet happiness in their hearts over Ryota. All the same, there was a yawning fissure between Tomoe and him, and now the other man that inhabited her heart was returning to the village.

Silently, he made his way back home, lost in his thoughts.

"Let's hope sensei," Naruto's last line on the scroll came to his mind as he looked up to the doors of the Senju home where they had remained even after marriage. "That he is able to get through her daze."

Kakashi walked into the house to find Tsunade rocking Ryota's bassinette in the common room. He went over and kissed the sleeping babe on the forehead.

"He is doing better." Tsunade informed him in a whisper. "How are you Kakashi?"

"I am well Tsunade-sama." The lie rolled out his mouth smoothly but he knew he was not fooling anyone.

"Oh you silly man…" Tsunade patted his arm, "She is asleep too. I took Ryota from her and ordered her to sleep for her child's sake."

Kakashi nodded and thanked Tsunade, promising to come back for Ryota, but she told him not to worry.

The last seven months had felt like an out of body experience to him and it seemed there was no end in sight to it.

Quietly he went into their room. Removing most of his clothes, except for the dark blue slacks, he slid under the covers next to her. Propping up on the left arm, he watched her breathe in and out slowly. When her breathing pattern changed, he knew she had sensed him and woken up even if her eyes remained closed.

His other hand pressed onto the spot between her shoulder blades covered by a thin silk wrap. Slowly he caressed the path of her spine before sliding up the curve of her waist and down to undo the loose knot of the belt keeping the wrap together. She did not stir as he pulled the fabric away and placed his hand on the firm plane of her abdomen.

His fingers began tracing the thin welts that remained on the lower half of her abdomen even after she had lost all the softness pregnancy had brought along. Those marks, still slightly pink, were the only proof left on her body that she had carried his seed and nurtured it within her body. In a way it was as if he had imprinted a code on her skin that would never disappear.

Tomoe's right arm shifted as her hand came to rest over his on her lower belly even as her eyes remained closed.

Unlike everyone around them, family, friends, and doctors, Kakashi did not believe for a moment that Tomoe's silence was due to shock of losing one of their children to the virus and consequently Ryota's premature birth. He could sense it in her silence and see it in the way her eyes took everything and nothing at the same time.

When she was cleared for physical activity, she wasted no time in working towards honing her body again to return to her shinobi fitness when she was not giving her devoted attention to their son.

No. Kakashi was certain Tomoe was in no sort of 'daze' nor did she need to be snapped out of anything. She was preparing and waiting, holding secrets close to her heart and not willing to open up to anyone, including him. He had told her not too long ago that he was aware of that much and asked her once more to let him in. In response she had pressed her lips to his eye lids and kept her silence.

Kakashi knew she blamed him for the decision to keep information from her and she was returning the coin tenfold. All the same there was no doubt in his heart that she still loved him despite the distance between them. That certainty made it less difficult to say the words.

"Naruto found Itachi alive, Tomoe." He said, watching her face. There was no change on her breath or face, not even her pulse. "They will arrive in a few days and I will bring him here to you."

There was no change in her all the same. He decided to take that as a good sign. When her fingers entwined with his at her abdomen and forced his arm to curl upwards, he cherished the gesture as she placed their joined hand over her steady beating heart pillowed by her breast.

She would not speak, but there was no need for words for him to know she still loved him. It was there in her tired eyes that would open every morning to follow his movements as he prepared to head to his duties. It was in the gentle caress of her hand on his hair when he pretended to sleep even when she woke up from her nightmares in the middle of the night chilled, sweaty and breathing raggedly.

Kakashi leaned down and kissed the spot between the end of her face and the start of the shell of her ear. It was on the tip of his tongue to say the words 'I love you' but instead he said, "Whenever you are ready Tomoe, please, let me in again."

Her pulse sped up slightly and her fingers tightened around his.

Kakashi tightened his arm around her and kissed the white strand of hair on her head, the curve of her shoulder and her ear again. She had not denied him her body, but the few times they had searched for solace in each other bodies, he could feel the sadness and pain oozing out of her. Not hearing Tomoe call out his name, even as his ministrations provoked sounds of pleasure from her, was the kind of torture he could not bear. It had resulted in an incredible decrease in their love making.

His body rebelled constantly, but he had learned to tamp down his urges and desires for the sake of their stand still relationship. Even now, the more possessive side of him wanted to take her. It had a quality of desperation to the more centered side of him. Itachi was on his way and he wanted to stake claim in her body. Despite the hardness of his cock and the discomfort caused by not being able to act upon those natural instincts, he settled down to lie as close as it was possible without making her uncomfortable, breathing in the perfume in her hair and the scent of her skin. Closing his eyes, he tried to find some peace in what they had.

It wasn't until Ryota's cries coming from afar, that he felt her body become fully alert and her hand released his.

"Stay love." He whispered against her hair and kissed it before moving away from her. "Let me help."

During Ryota's teething ordeal Tomoe had pretty much shut him away from their child in her obsession with taking care of him day and night. Tsunade had explained it to him as a by-product of their loss. Tomoe was focusing on not losing the one child that had survived to the point of being overbearing and even pushing him away.

Unfazed by his state of undress, Tsunade stopped trying to soothe the babe while walking about with him in her arms and handed the red faced, light blonde, alarm siren to him. "She let you come?" She asked in surprise.

"I did not wait for approval." He said as he cooed at his sobbing child.

Thanking her, he turned away, talking softly to him while rubbing his blue cotton clad back. "There, there son." And kissed the top of his head. "Let's go find our beloved."

When he returned to the room, he expected her to be anxiously waiting at the door. That's how maddening she had been the past few days. Instead they found her sitting on the futon, calmly looking at the shoji door. Kakashi stepped onto the futon and knelt next to her before passing the eager baby to his mother.

He decided he was not going anywhere, unable to feel excluded one more time from their time together, so he sat behind her, leaning on the headboard of the futon's frame and caressed her back in a silent request. Ryota was already latched onto her left breast, so she looked slightly over her shoulder at him. Carefully holding their growing child with one arm under him, she pushed herself back between his legs.

Kakashi sighed content to have this moment after what seemed an eternity. Propping his left leg for her to have a little more support under the cradle of her arms, he kissed her head as she leaned into his chest and rubbed her right arm. Silently, Kakashi prayed while holding his reason to breathe in his arms, that he would have the necessary strength to bear what was yet to come and help Tomoe heal when she was ready to deal with the card fate had dealt them this time.

* * *

It had taken their small group four days to cross from the northernmost side to Konoha, unable to use their usual speed due to Eiri. Naruto figured Itachi was out of shape as well.

When they reached the outer gates it was early morning. Itachi had returned to using the codename he was given during the Core days from the moment they had been close to Konoha. He had warned Eiri to not call him any other name but Junoichi.

At the outer gate medical station, they all waited for the results from the Honomichi virus blood test each and every one of them had to go through before being allowed to the main gate. While they waited, Naruto sent word that they were back and that they would meet Kakashi-sensei at the office, but a message came back asking them to come to the Senju home instead.

Naruto suggested that one of the ANBU with them could take Eiri to a hotel in the meantime since Itachi's apartment had been emptied out and leased to someone else. His ex had been quick to refuse that offer.

"Oh no Nanadaime-sama." She said with a pissed off look at Itachi, "I will stick to _my _man if you don't mind. After all, it is _the _woman of his dreams you are going to meet right?"

When Itachi had given her a questioning look she scoffed, "You thought I did not know? If there was anything constant with you it was you talking in your sleep of Tomoe and how much you loved her. Whoever Sasuke is, you did not seem too worried about him."

Naruto had not expected that piece of dirty laundry to be aired out of the blue. Looking at the other three in the waiting room with them he decided to warn them not to say a word about Itachi and his dreams of his sister or they would have two Hokages after their heads.

"When I would wake up, I did not remember anything I dreamt of." Itachi said, glaring at the woman sitting away from him. "You knew I was calling out names in my sleep but did not bother to question me about them? You didn't think it could have helped jog my memory? Help me get back to _my _family?"

"I don't know about you, but I did not feel comfortable bringing up some other woman and maybe helping you get back to her when I was already madly in love with you." Eiri said with teary eyes, "How was I to know that it wasn't a way of avoiding whatever was waiting for you in your previous life? Forgive me for looking after my own happiness first!"

Naruto sighed not wanting to get in the middle of their couple's spat, but did so anyways. "Ok you two…I know there is issues here that need resolving but please wait until you two are alone."

Luckily his meddling did not bring more reproaches and other than telling the ANBU to keep their mouths shut, there was very little said afterwards. Once they reached the main gate and got Eiri registered, the ANBU were sent on their way before the three of them made their way to the Senju home in an uncomfortable silence.

As they turned to the acre of land the Senju had not conceded to the village after it was leveled, Naruto wondered how this was going to play out. Maybe he should stay outside the house with Eiri so she was not hurt by what may happen in there. But then he was more worried about _his_ family. He wanted to be able to keep an eye on Kakashi-sensei and Tomoe. As much as he wanted her to break out of the daze she had remained in all this time, he was certain it would cut deeply into his sensei if Tomoe were to suddenly speak to Itachi. Despite having initially been uncomfortable with the idea of his sister and former sensei being together, the man was the closest he had to a living father figure. Uchiha Itachi –as much as he was esteemed and was his friend's only family, was not a welcome figure in that particular chess game.

Soon they were upon the vegetable and flower garden that formed part of the landscape before the Senju home. The only reason it kept the title of complex was due to its history, having been the original home of Senju Hashirama and in it's time it had been the main house of the group of ten located in the original two acres of Senju land.

Naruto had half expected Kakashi to appear in a puff of smoke at the garden level, but they climbed the stone steps without any sign of the copy ninja. It would make sense for him to want to double check on Naruto's finding before he allowed anyone close to the home. _Maybe he decided to not be present_, Naruto thought as they walked across the courtyard.

Just as the thought had crossed his mind, the entrance door slid open and said silver haired Hokage stepped out. "Welcome back Naruto." He said smiling under his mask.

Naruto grinned, holding a hand out in greeting as he walked ahead of the other two. "Yo, sensei! Sorry for the snail pace."

"It's quite alright, Naruto." Kakashi turned to look at the couple standing a few meters away. "You must be Watanabe Eiri-san." At her nod, he said, "I apologize but we have family business ahead of us. You can wait in the garden gazebo. Itachi won't take long here."

When Kakashi's eyes turned to the Uchiha, Itachi nodded towards him in respect. "Rokudaime-sama."

"Welcome home Itachi." Kakashi said in an even tone. "I am sorry we lost you and the others in that incursion. You can report what happened then at the time of your convenience."

"Yes sir." Itachi nodded, keeping a calm exterior. Turning slightly to Eiri, he said, "Go down the steps and follow the stone path to the right. It will take you to the gazebo. I will come get you soon."

Eiri opened her mouth, the glare in her eyes clearly meant she wanted to speak out some harsh words before she was sent away, but Itachi interrupted her.

"You chose to follow me here Eiri when I made it clear you had no place here." He pointed out with a glare of his own. "Whatever you have in your mind, we can discuss later."

Insulted and enraged, Eiri slapped his face before stomping away. It had not been the first slap Itachi had received in the last few days, but just like the other times, he seemed unfazed by it.

When she was out of earshot, Naruto set angry eyes on Itachi. "You are an asshole Itachi."

Itachi made a small movement with his shoulders, looking straight at him. "I told her to stay back in the village and that I would not abandon her and the baby."

Naruto shook his head, trying to keep tight rein on his opinions at the moment. Turning his back to Itachi, he went inside. Kakashi-sensei had to have a few words of his own for Itachi, Naruto figured. Taking off his sandals and dusting his clothes at the foyer, he turned his thoughts to his nee-san. As far as he knew, there was nothing more than an unbreakable friendship with Itachi. Shaking his head, he sighed and walked down the hallway to the shoji door that closed off the foyer from the main living area.

_Whatever…_ He thought in annoyance, _I'm sure Kakashi-sensei and Tomoe can handle whatever is going on here. _

Sliding the shoji door open, he stepped into the quiet and peaceful home. He turned his head to the left but there was no one at the in the sunken sitting area around the stone hearth. But then, it was not winter so the space was rarely used the rest of the year. Walking a few more feet, he turned to the right and found Tsunade sitting alone at the family room with a cup of tea.

"Hello baa-san." He said from the open doors.

"Naruto!" She smiled, looking up from her book. "Come here you rascal and greet me properly."

Naruto smiled, taking the few steps to the older lady and knelt next to her. "How have you been?"

"Old as always my boy." Tsunade chuckled before placing a kiss on his forehead.

When Tomoe had changed her name to Senju, Tsunade had offered the same to Naruto, knowing he would refuse, but all the same he had been added to the Senju register. For the first time he was officially part of a family and since then Tsunade had dispensed with any formalities between them. It was a blessing, Naruto had decided long ago, to have a mother's kiss on his forehead each time they met.

Naruto sensed Tomoe before she appeared at the door so he turned slightly that way. "Hey there nee-san. How have you been?"

Naruto had thought _maybe _Tomoe would have looked happier knowing Itachi was well and back in the village, but she seemed the same to him. She was dressed in her usual get up of black pants and yukata. Black was the color she had stuck to since Ryota's birth and Mina's death. Her hair was left loose most of the time but the white strand stood out like a sore thumb on her wavy raven crown.

A small smile was the answer to his question. She was obviously alert at the moment, not lost in her thoughts as he would sometimes find her, wandering about the house or the grounds when Ryota was asleep. If she was not absolutely devoted to her child, she would be training, and in the remaining time it seemed her mind wandered away from reality. He had no idea how she behaved with Kakashi-sensei when no one was looking, but whenever he saw them together they did not stick as close together as they used to. As stomach rolling it had been in the beginning to watch them, he had no idea he would miss seeing them joined at the hip all the time.

Tomoe made a slight move towards them before stopping and turning her face in the direction of the foyer doors. Naruto knew the other two were coming in. He expected her to walk over to receive them but instead she remained there waiting with a mild expression on her face.

When the shoji door slid open, Naruto stood up to go to his sister's side. She moved then towards them and he followed a few steps behind. Tsunade had left her seat as well. She was actually the first to speak as usual.

"Good to see you alive Itachi-san," Tsunade said by way of greeting.

"Likewise Tsunade-sama." Itachi said nodding towards her.

Tsunade just chuckled at his greeting and muttered under her breath, "That's him alright."

That earned her a small tilt of his lips, before turning his eyes to Tomoe. "I'm told you don't say a word anymore. If you had not been through hell and back I would give you a hard time for not even saying hello."

Tomoe stepped towards him. It seemed to Naruto that even Itachi had failed to break through her silence. When she reached out, standing on the tip of her toes to wrap arms around his neck, Naruto turned his eyes to Kakashi-sensei who had remained by the door behind Itachi. Kakashi seemed deceptively calm, leaning against the door frame with arms crossed over his chest.

Itachi had wrapped his arms around her as well, hiding his face on the crook of her neck. Suddenly, Kakashi's calm façade broke as he looked concerned towards Tomoe and changed his stance.

Just as he took a step towards them calling out her name, Tomoe pushed Itachi away forcefully. And then the creepiest thing he had ever seen happened.

Naruto watched as Tomoe let her body fall back and disappear into her own shadow. "What the fuck!"

Tomoe's low chakra had disappeared in the blink of an eye and he could not sense her anywhere in the house. He was certain no one else could sense her either from the confused looks from Itachi and Tsunade as well as Kakashi's next words.

"Naruto check the perimeter." Kakashi walked past him, headed obviously towards their rooms.

That's when Ryota's cry and a loud crashing sound came to them.

Kakashi disappeared before them, but they all followed running through the house at their shinobi speed.

When they arrived, Kakashi had the crying babe in his arms and looked up at Tsunade. "There is blood on his chest, but there is no wound."

Naruto ran to the hole on the wall that had taken most of the window as well. There was blood there too. Itachi stepped through, searching for a trace to follow. Behind him, Naruto heard several summons puff into the room.

"Find Tomoe." He ordered.

Naruto stepped aside as the hounds ran outside, except for Uhei which remained to sniff around the blood. "Is it Tomoe's?" He asked.

"On the baby only. The other scent…" The dog said as he continued to sniff around, followed by Kakashi and Naruto, until he reached Itachi. "It's the same scent that is on this guy."

Itachi frowned at the dog and then seemed to understand what that meant. He said looking confused at Naruto. "Eiri."

"She's found!" Uhei exclaimed.

Kakashi grabbed the Konoha headband around Uhei's neck and ordered them to hold on to him. Naruto felt the pull of the transmigration, a by-product of using the summons to travel between spaces. In less than a second they were back with the other dogs that had surrounded the area.

There they found Eiri, bloodied but standing with what looked like a senbon between her fingers. Tomoe stood unharmed not too far away, one arm out in defense while the other was pulled back close to her midriff.

"Eiri!" Itachi yelled, taking a step towards her.

That's when Tomoe advanced and Eiri screamed as she too moved to attack. Tomoe blocked the senbon directed to her neck as her other hand connected the heel of her to Eiri's chin. The other woman let out a keening cry as her jawbone was shattered. Grabbing her by the arm, Tomoe twisted her around to connect her foot to Eiri's spine with full force. Picking the senbon from the air as it fell out of Tomoe's opponent's hand, she flipped her around like a rag doll to face her again.

That's when Kakashi appeared next to Tomoe grabbing the arm poised to stick the long needle into Eiri. "I think she will not be able to do any more damage Tomoe."

"She was going to kill Ryota with that." Tomoe said, her words almost a growl not too different from the growls coming from Kakashi's hounds.

Naruto came closer with Itachi. "She did not feel like someone with shinobi experience. I'm sorry both of you. I should have refused to bring her along."

"I did not feel any animosity from her other than for Itachi." Kakashi said, "It's pointless to ask her now with how damaged her jaw is. Naruto, you and Itachi take her to interrogation. Get Inoichi to look in her head."

"Yes sir." Itachi said as he knelt down to restrain his ex lover not that she could do much with one twisted arm and from the odd length on the other, the other one was pulled out of its socket.

"Itachi." Tomoe said in a more even tone, but murder still glowed in her eerie blue green eyes. "Make sure she finds no relief in her pain."

Itachi nodded, taking the orders to heart. "I'm sorry this happened. It's my fault."

"Naruto come back after you get Inoichi's report." Kakashi turned to follow his wife. His hounds gathered around him in wait.

Naruto blew a breath out of his mouth and muttered, "Good luck sensei." Hands on his hips, he watched Itachi's clone pick up Eiri and throw her over his shoulder. "I guess if there was a good time for Tomoe to snap out of it, now was the best moment."

Naruto lead the way through the woods hoping for answers that would not bring more pain and headaches to his family. He truly wished there was a break to all the doom and gloom on its way, but deep down he knew he was only trying to fool himself.

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First check: 8/24/2014


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its character as much as I would love to have a few of them hidden in my closet. They all belong to Mr. Kishimoto. Any of the characters you may not recognize of the canon story belong to me.**

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**Don't Let Go - ****_Absolution _**

**by Shihori**

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**3**

"Kakashi." Pakkun called out as they walked at a distance along with their master from Tomoe. "She does not smell right."

Kakashi understood what the pug meant. He had not stepped closer to her because her chakra was in turmoil. The way she walked with determined steps, shoulders hunched and arms wrapped around her torso, made him assume she was attempting to regain control.

"You guys go on." Kakashi said, deciding to not have any witnesses to their conversation, once Tomoe was able to hold one. "Thank you."

"Save it old man. The chakra coming from your woman is not pleasant for us." Pakkun licked his chops. "You owe us come good treats next time."

Kakashi only nodded at the hounds before they disappeared in puffs of smoke. Ahead of him, Tomoe had stopped walking and an arm had stretched out to sustain part of her body weight against a tree. As he stepped closer, he could sense the turmoil easing down until she was down to her usual low chakra level. Her shoulders lost the tension on them with a slow, measured breath. That's when he reached out to wrap an arm around her waist to stand close to her. He heard her gasp, tensing up slightly, but with a few measured breaths she relaxed again.

"Kakashi." She said softly, as she leaned into his chest and rested her head back with her eyes closed. "I'm sorry."

Kakashi felt her body lose the chill that had seemed to permeate her only moments ago. With his other hand, he caressed her head, inspecting the new strand of white in it. "I'm going to guess your graying hair is the price to pay for the extra help."

"Ha!" Her short laugh was filled with sadness. Opening her eyes, she slightly angled her face to look up at him. "You're going to be mad at me."

"You've done something to irrevocably harm yourself?" He asked, for that is the only thing that would actually make him mad at her.

"Hmmm…" She blinked slowly before pressing a hand to his face, pulling down the mask. "I'm not even sure." She confessed with a small smile. "Surely, I will find out when I am meant to."

Kakashi pressed his lips to her head before he said, "You have a lot to explain woman." With his hand at her hip, he turned her around. "Start talking. I've missed your voice."

Tomoe sighed, pushing away from him to lean her back on the tree instead. "Last time we spoke we were pretty harsh to each other."

Kakashi frowned as he recalled the row they had in the hospital after she was initially admitted due to the virus. He had been furious at her for risking herself and the twins unnecessarily. She had been furious at him for withholding information that could have prevented what happened out of jealousy towards Itachi.

He had been beyond scared back then knowing how fast acting the virus is and that most pregnant women did not survive. The doctors had warned them all to prepare for the inevitable phases that would only lead to death. The cure was still in its early stages and it had only worked on women who were not pregnant, children that had been healthy at the beginning of it, and elderly people without severe health conditions.

"I did not tell you then," Tomoe said softly, looking away. "I acted out of fear. The demon had warned me about Itachi in a way. It does not speak to me with words but with images and sensations, and they had been constant for several days then. The images it gave me were from my past and the sensations were a heart wrenching pain. I knew then I was going to lose something precious to me. When I heard Itachi had used his real name at the gates, I got the same sensation again. It was the demon's way of saying it was going to happen. I had hoped to get to the two of you before the doppelganger arrived to headquarters but I was too late."

The way her jaw set tighter and her eyes watered he knew she was gritting her teeth. "I did not even consider back then that the pain I was going to feel was from losing our children. All I could think was that any pain of the sort would come only if I were to lose you or Naruto."

Kakashi watched her eyes close as the back of his hand wiped away the tears from the side of her face in front of him. "Kurenai once said that until Hatsuharu was born she felt disconnected from him. She knew the baby was all she had left of Asuma and she was happy to have him, but most often than not she felt awkward with her size, upset that she did not feel like herself and annoyed at having her ass handed to her from inside, had not helped. Maybe you did not feel connected to them yet and that would be understandable."

She frowned, confused at what he was saying. "Why in the world would Kurenai say that to you?"

"She was actually talking to two other women in one of their mommy's night out." He smiled when she smiled at him. "I just happened to be in the same restaurant with the guys."

"I see." Tomoe sighed as she wiped the wetness from her face. "In any case…I did what I did. I was dying again and all I could think was I was leaving you. Mina was growing weaker and the virus was too aggressive. Ryota was holding on the best but he would be next so I did what I could."

Kakashi took her hand, knowing that what she was about to say was not easy. He could see the pain and fear in her blue eyes as clearly as if she was speaking the words.

"I chose Ryota. Like some animal, I chose to help the stronger one of the two to survive." She said, her voice cracking with her emotions, "I sacrificed Mina and a decade of my life to the demon if it helped me keep Ryota protected."

Tomoe broke into sobs then. Kakashi felt like someone had hit him with a battering ram. He stared at their hands clasped together and tried to sort through what he was feeling. He was not sure how long they stood there.

Kakashi remembered the day Ryota was born. Tomoe had been unconscious for twelve hours at the time and without being able to talk to her they could not be sure how fast her brain was degrading. So he had been told that if he wanted to save at least the children they had to bring them to the world prematurely.

Ryota had been first. He had let everyone know he was not pleased with his loud wails. Kakashi had cried with mixed emotions, even as he heard the doctors say it was odd how developed the boy was for being only twenty-five weeks old. Then Mina had been born smaller and weaker than her healthier sibling. Kakashi had watched the doctors try to stabilize her as fast as possible, but they all knew that the virus would definitely take her. Little did Kakashi know then that there was something else besides the virus at work that day.

Kakashi heard the words sacrifice and decade over and over in his head, until he forced his mind to quiet down. When he opened his eyes again, he saw through the film of his own tears that Tomoe had her face in her hands, still sobbing quietly, hunched against the tree. The strands of white stood out like beacons in a dark sea. Reaching out, he grabbed handfuls of the curtain of hair and slowly came down to his knees –not pulling on her hair but sliding the loosely closed fists down its length.

While on his knees he let go of her hair and pulled on the wide sash holding her yukata together. His hands settled on the curve of her hips as he kissed her lower abdomen, feeling the unevenness of her skin above the waist of the low rise pants. He could feel Tomoe's eyes on him. She had quieted down but he was not ready to look at her so he pressed his face to the smooth side of her abdomen.

Finally finding his voice, he asked with a hoarse voice. "Why did you not talk to me all this time?"

Tomoe held her hands to her chest, not touching him and whispered, "It hurt too much."

Kakashi tightened his hands at her hips, his fingers finding the area of her midriff not hardened completely by her physical training. He knew he was hurting her, but she did not say a word.

He sighed against her skin, shaking his head slightly. "You are a cruel woman Tomoe." In sudden frustration he growled, "Put your hands on me damn it! I feel like I am drifting!"

Kakashi felt her curl over him, one hand cradling the back of his head as the other slid down his back under his shirt. In a broken voice he heard her say softly, "Everything is my fault Kakashi. I acted impulsively and killed our child. And now that woman has shown up. She almost killed Ryota because of what I have done."

Her tears fell onto his hair and wet his scalp. "I was too greedy to hope for happiness Kakashi. I should not have tied you to me. You would have been better off on your own or with someone else. You must hate me now as much as you've loved me."

Kakashi slid his hands from the hips to rest under the curve of her breasts. Looking into her face reddened by tears, he said, "I will not lie and say it does not hurt what you've done Tomoe, but I can swear to you that if you renege one more time of _us_,I will truly lose my control. It seems you still do not understand how much _you_ mean to me, you fool."

He saw her confusion clear as day, so unlike her, he decided not to make her wait seven months to know his mind. "You gave away a decade of your life. You chose to sacrifice yourself, the peace of your soul, and resigned yourself to possibly damaging our relationship, for the sake of giving the healthier child a fighting chance. You took an impossible situation and made the best decision you could within your control. Instead of two graves, you gave me one beautiful son who remains second to you in my heart as awful as that may sound."

Tomoe's tears fell onto his face and she hurried to wipe them. Holding her hands to his face, he added in a stern voice. "Yes. I am mad at you. You gave away ten years of your life but you did it for our child. I will never hate you for that. I know you Tomoe. You will carry that pain and guilt for the rest of your life and I think that is the most unselfish thing you have done in your life. What I am mad at you is for shunning me from your pain all this time. I don't give a damn about you not talking to anyone else, but you should not have pushed _me _away."

She nodded, apologizing in tearful whispers. "I just could not say the words." She cried as her knees gave away and she fell between him and the tree with her legs akimbo. "When I woke up it was your back I saw first and then you turned with Ryota in your arms. Your face Kakashi…god…" Her head dropped onto his shoulder as she gripped his dark blue t-shirt. "I wanted to be part of the joy that seemed to be emanating from you but I couldn't. I just couldn't. I did not want to see all that love in you turn into hate, but all the same I hurt you tenfold in my selfishness."

"My dear girl," Kakashi said softly to her ear before kissing the side of her head. "You have hurt yourself more than I could ever hurt from all of this."

Gently, he pulled her closer to him, making her straddle his lap. "Look at me love." He said softly, rubbing her back.

When she looked up, he began to smooth away the hair plastered to her face but it seemed to make her notice her appearance and she began wiping at her face properly with the yukata's thick belt, muttering about her being a mess of all sorts. Not that she was unkempt at anytime, but all these months she had seemed to him like a porcelain doll, beautiful but fragile. Watching her wipe at her tears and snot from all the crying was like watching the doll fade away and the real Tomoe come out of the cocoon slowly.

Taking her hands, he stopped her from fussing any longer. "You are fine." He said in a reassuring tone.

She sighed, "Stupid of me to worry what I look like in front of you after all I've said." She shook her head slightly. "Sorry. I don't mean to make light of our conversation."

Kakashi stared at her downcast eyes and made note to tell her at a different moment how much he appreciated her efforts to look good for him. Right then however, he needed more than words could say.

"The blood on Ryota was yours Tomoe." He said, caressing her forehead with the back of his hand. "You are unhurt and now you have one more strand of white on your head. What have you done now?"

Her blue eyes shone with guilt again as they veered to the right and he tried his best to not sigh in exasperation. "Can you tell me or is it one more secret I must wait for you to reveal?"

"It's from a blood seal I placed on Ryota. If anything were to happen to him between birth and the age of ten, I can be there for him immediately. Basically the demon watches over him and tells me what's going on. After Mina, I decided to do all I could for Ryota."

"You have a demon spy on our son." Kakashi put it in layman terms. "Can't say I disapprove, but by the time he is ten your hair will be completely white if he is anything like you or Naruto."

Tomoe gave him a look that said '_shut up_'. "I'm not going to abuse it. It's only in case of life or death like today. It's bad enough the demon asked for the one thing I'm vain over."

"It saved our son today, so I am glad you did it." Kakashi said, leaning in to press his lips on hers, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I love you Tomoe even with your one track mind when it comes to protecting your loved ones and your annoying habit of keeping things from me."

"I love you too Kakashi." She said softly, resting her forehead on his, and closed her eyes.

The hand at her waist slid under the yukata to rest on the hip. His thumb made lazy circles on her skin while the other hand ran up and down her thigh.

He felt on his forehead how hers scrounged up into a frown making him smile.

"I know it's been a while," She said in a wry tone, "But you can't possibly want me right now."

"It's impossible not to want you any given time of the day." He said vehemently, "No matter what you do, you crazy woman, I am absolutely hooked on you like an addict to a drug."

"For an addicted person, you are being awfully patient." She said, pulling back to look at him better. "We have a lot of pain between us Kakashi. This will not heal simply by moving on and going about our lives like it never happened."

"It has never been simple between us Tomoe." He nodded, reaching with one hand to her shoulder to pull down the sleeve on the left side. "I don't know how well we will heal from all of this, but as long as we have each other, we will be alright." He kissed the curve of her shoulder. "There is nothing you can say to me that will stop me from loving and wanting you, I think I have proved that since the day I asked you to marry me the second time."

"And now that he is back, are you worried?" She said softly, caressing the back of his neck.

Kakashi slowly kissed up the line of her shoulder to her neck. As he got closer to it she tilted her neck to the opposite side in quiet offer. Carefully he took the soft skin there between his lips and nipped. "You've put me through a whirlwind of emotions today woman. Should I be worried?" He was not going to admit it to her right then, but he did have his concerns.

Without providing an answer, Tomoe's hands pulled at the standard uniform t-shirt, freeing it from the waist of his pants. Kakashi finished her work by pulling the shirt over his head. Once his upper body was uncovered, she leaned down to kiss his shoulder as he had before turning to his face to take his lower lip between hers, initiating a slow dance with their mouths.

While their mouths worked at each other, kindling slowly their fire, Kakashi's hands removed the yukata completely as well as the other offending piece of clothing that separated his hands from her breasts. Starting with a gentle massage on each breast, Kakashi made her moan softly into his mouth and press closer to him by wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Oh fuck!" Came the sudden exclamation from the woods to their left, followed by an apology. "I mean, sorry Rokudaime-sama, Tomoe-sama. I saw nothing!"

Kakashi glared at the ANBU that had turned his back to them and tried not to curse at Tomoe who had decided to hide her grin on the crook of his neck while licking at the skin there. "What is it Inohara?"

"Nanadaime sent for you two. He did not give me any details." He said.

"We will be there soon." He said. "Go now."

"Yes sir!" He said before sprinting away.

"It must be important if Naruto did not wait until later Kakashi." Tomoe said as her hands undid his pants' fly.

He smirked, "Why are you getting into my pants then?"

Tomoe smiled innocently and shrugged. "I'm just pointing out the important things Rokudaime-sama."

"You sure are." He groaned as her hand rubbed at his hardened cock. "I will take my time with you later evil woman."

With that promise in the air, he took hold of her hand and pushed her gently off his lap. Standing up he helped her to stand and pushed her against the tree. Making quick work of the clothing on their lower bodies, Kakashi took a moment to suckle her breasts.

Tomoe groaned, digging her nails onto his back and hissed, "Stop Kakashi. I'm too sensitive!"

Kakashi eased slightly, being a little gentler with his mouth, but the fingers between her legs kept up their steady pace. Tomoe kept pulling and smoothing out his hair while she moaned, calling out his name at times. When his fingers were coated enough with her juices and her hips had begun rolling along with the thrusting of his fingers, he pulled them out and his mouth parted from the breast receiving his attention at the moment.

Pulling her away from the tree, he turned her around so her back would be to his chest and he leaned onto the tree. When they had the right angles worked out, he pushed into her wet core. Kakashi wrapped an arm around her as he continued to thrust and rub the swollen nub between her slick folds.

After a few more thrusts, Kakashi pulled out wanting to see her face and kiss her while he took her. It took only a few words and a quick change of positions to have her with arms and legs wrapped around him, and his cock nestled in her warmth again.

They made love fast and grasping at every sensation their coupling brought with it. It was hardly the remedy for healing all the pain between them, but they had an inherent need to be close to each other any way possible. No matter what happened, the only comfort they could find was in each other.

Kakashi could not tell what else life had in store for them, but the one unshakable truth in his heart was that they were made to be together and there was nothing that could change that.

He kept a firm grip on her as he knelt while they both rode the wave of their orgasms, breathing hard at each other's necks between soft pecks and caresses.

Kakashi made a mental note of taking Tomoe home first so they could both clean up and for Ryota to feed. His musings were interrupted by Tomoe as she muttered an apology as she wished the leaking to stop to which he chuckled and said there was nothing to worry about when it was completely normal. Every other time they had been intimate Ryota had fed first after all.

Tomoe looked up and caressed his face slowly. He could tell there was something in her mind. She gave him a small smile as her fingers touched his lips. "You have nothing to worry about Kakashi."

He knew she was talking about his previous question. There was a part of him that wondered if Itachi would get a stronger foothold in her heart now that he was back and they were not in a good spot, but Kakashi took what he could then.

Kakashi closed his eyes and let those words sink into his heart. Her fingers played with the short hair at the back of his neck as she said, "I am forever yours Kakashi." With a soft chuckle she added, "Poor you."

He could not help the peal of laughter that burst from his lips. Grinning at her, he said, "Stop now Tomoe. Make me any happier and Naruto will be waiting at least a week for us."

"Then let's go before he comes searching and we scar my baby brother for life." She said laughing, as she stood up and gathered their clothes.

"That's what parents usually do." Kakashi said with a smirk as he dressed.

When they had put themselves together, Kakashi took her hand and activated the transportation seal he carried on himself that linked to the one in the home. In a puff of smoke they were back home. Kakashi only hoped that whatever Naruto had for them would not ruin the little bit of happiness they had managed to achieve that day.

* * *

First Check: 8/24/2014


End file.
